billy c wrote:that should get you moving!
is always nice to have the engine as you do the mockups for the propshaft and underwater gear. it is a pretty close fit with the cowl under the hatches too so getting the deck arch and height will be easier.
-Billy

Thanks Billy. I'm hoping it will help and keep me motivated. It's hard to look at it as a really expensive, non functioning blob of metal. I want to hear it run!

Craig-
glad you found Dick Williams! he really has built a beautiful boat and will be the guru when you go to install that PCM.
we'll have to have a "Gathering of the Belles" when you get yours to the launching ramp
-Billy

billy c wrote:Craig-
glad you found Dick Williams! he really has built a beautiful boat and will be the guru when you go to install that PCM.
we'll have to have a "Gathering of the Belles" when you get yours to the launching ramp
-Billy

Absolutely! Although this boat will live in Wisconsin, I told my wife that when it's done, I'd like to drag it around the country and explore other areas.

I went to look at mahogany tonight. Talking with the guy he brought up a few questions. Plus I have a few questions of my own.

My questions:
1. What is the best length for the strakes? To stagger the butt joints, should I use 12' pieces plus 8' and 4'?
2. What is the best width for the strakes? Talking with a couple of guys who just put strakes on a Belle Isle they said some boards could be less than 8", but if all were 8" wide, you could mix and match and pick the best board. I can get plenty of 8" wide boards
3. What is the best thickness for each strake? Again, the guys helping me suggested re-saw to 1/4" and surface to 3/16".

Items the wood guy brought up:
1. He has a whole 'bunk' of 8/4 African mahogany that are 8' long and 7.5"-8" wide. Most are matched from the same tree(he says) and I can pick through and use what I want. Is all 8' lengths okay? Should I look for longer boards?
2. All the boards are quarter sawn. Is this okay for strakes? Preferred? Or not a good idea?
3. From an 8/4 board, he says he needs to re-saw them to 5/16" and surface to 3/16". Doesn't 5/16" seem a little thick to start with? He says from an 8/4 board he can get 4 (maybe 5) strakes from it. Seems like a lot of waste.

Calculating quantity
Assuming 6 strakes per side. The boat is 23' long. All strakes are 8' long. I would need 18 strakes per side, or 36 for both sides. Assume 6 more for the transom makes 42 total. Then some for the bottom, front. Would 50 strakes be enough?
Assuming he can get 4 strakes per board, that's 12 to 13 boards 8/4 thick and 8' long.

that sounds pretty close to correct. i ran a few with more width than that, cutting the narrower boards needed for the deck from the castoffs. you may find a few of the strakes near the bow to be more than 8", but could use the waste from the strake to reattach to the other side and get the width for the pattern out of it.
i prefer the boards to be a little off the quarter for the strakes to eliminate the ribbon figure created when sawn on the quarter. ...the quarter sawn stuff is the prized guitar building wood so don't throw away your scraps

Thanks Billy. I understand about the width comments and will try to get some wider boards as well.

But I don't understand your quarter sawn comments (sorry, I'm not a seasoned wood worker). You say the quarter sawn stuff is sought after for guitar makers, but I'm not sure if you are saying it's okay for boat strakes. Can you confirm?

Also, length. Will 8' boards be too short and too many joints? From your photos, you may have had longer boards.

...right too much figure for strakes. disruptive to the eye and overall lines of the boat. just MO. great for the transom
yes my strakes were longer. that is my preference as it is what GarWood and Hacker commonly used. i think if you went 8' you would end up with at least 4 strakes, maybe 5 in your courses. this is fine if you are not trying for a particular look

The quarter sawn boards tend to have a wavy tiger stripe look. Dark and light lines running through the grain. The flat sawn boards will have more of a flame or mountain peak grain and more even coloration. It's a choice thing. The flat sawn will be more readily available and less expensive. Either is fine for what you want to do. If you are staining Chris Craft red with darker cover boards, you will not notice much difference as the filler stains even the color out. Go for the widest and longest you can get. You will need to cut the boards wide if you are planning to plank the boat with very level, horizontal boards. Otherwise they will tend to sweep up at the bow. Getting really level planking lines will waste a lot of your veneer, so plan on extra if this is your goal. A straight looking plank on a boat is very curved and crooked in reality.

If it were flipped and dunked in water....it 'might' float!
I finished the first layer on the bottom.
Both layers are done on the sides. For the bottom, the second layer (large rear pieces) are cut and ready to glue. I obviously have a lot of sanding to do before the next layer.
I really need to get the mahogany purchased. I figure I'll need it in about a month.